PREP ROUNDUP : Mater Dei’s Day Picks Up Where Peterson Leaves Off

With All-American teammate Melody Peterson on the bench because of foul trouble, freshman B.J. Day keyed third-ranked Mater Dei to a 60-46 victory over fifth-ranked Edison in the quarterfinals of the Marina tournament at Marina High.

Day, a 5-foot-8 guard, scored 11 of her 14 points during an 18-7 run that broke open a two-point game late in the third quarter and into the fourth, and finished with 14 points against the Chargers (8-4).

“I knew we needed points, a boost, something to get us going,” Day said with a little prodding. “All I want to do is step up, be solid and do the best I can.”

She matched Peterson, who also had 14 points but sat out the final 10 minutes with four fouls. Peterson was last year’s Times Orange County player of the year.

“[Day] doesn’t play like a freshman,” Mater Dei Coach Mary Hauser said. “We kept saying on the bench that we needed some offense, and she’s our instant offense. She can really bury them.”

Day was five for nine shooting, including two three-point baskets. Her second extended the Monarchs’ lead to seven, 42-35, with 40 seconds left in the third quarter. It came three minutes after Edison cut Mater Dei’s lead to 35-33 after trailing by as many as 14 points in the first quarter.

Margaret Hollis added 11 points for Mater Dei (7-2).

Day’s performance overshadowed the 21-point effort by Edison’s Marie Philman, who was eight of 15 shooting (53%), including six of eight in the midst of the Chargers’ comeback.

The rest of the team was 11 of 34 (32%).

“You know about one player, but you don’t know about the others,” Philman said of Mater Dei’s depth. “We didn’t know about B.J.”

Mater Dei plays Fountain Valley in one semifinal at 6:30 tonight. Ocean View plays Laguna Hills at 8.